Le déclin de l'empire américain (1986)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand (writer)

Release Date:

November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Four university teachers gather to prepare a dinner. Remy - married, Claude - homosexual, Pierre - girlfriend and Alain - a bachelor discuss sex...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Discussion | Affair | Penis | Sadomasochism

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Dominique Michel	...	Dominique
Dorothée Berryman	...	Louise
Louise Portal	...	Diane
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre
Rémy Girard	...	Rémy
Yves Jacques	...	Claude
Geneviève Rioux	...	Danielle
Daniel Brière	...	Alain
Gabriel Arcand	...	Mario
Évelyn Regimbald
Lisette Guertin
Alexandre Remy
Ariane Frédérique
Jean-Paul Bongo

Also Known As:

The Decline of the American Empire (USA)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:16 | Portugal:M/16 | West Germany:18 | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Eastern Townships, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Cineplex-Odeon Films

Trivia:

The house in which the majority of the events take place, in Magog, burned down in 1989, was later rebuilt. The scene in which one of the women characters is having sex, seen through a window from outside, was actually shot through a garage window. The actress was sitting on the snow tires which the owner of the house stored in the garage. She told him that, thanks to the tires, it was one of the most comfortable scenes she had ever done.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Speaking Parts (1989)

Power Meal

This is an extraordinary, in the very French (this is French Canadian,) slice of life film. Fidelity, infidelity, values, intellectuality, deceit, love, mortality, frienship beautifully explored by a great ensemble playing a great script with heart, no pretension, and to great result. This is one of those "trust me" films, almost inexplicable in its gathering power. Fine art, this.